The Ohio House passed a bill (68-25) on Thursday to codify several longstanding limitations on using public funds for poor women seeking abortions, as well as abortion counseling and referrals. The limitations are currently in place as executive orders, which could be changed or reversed by incoming Governor Ted Strickland, a pro-choice Democrat, according to […]
Mary Jo Kilroy (D), a candidate for the US House seat in Ohio’s 13th district, and Karen Carter (D), who took part in a run-off election this weekend for the US House seat in Louisiana’s 2nd district, both lost their close races. Kilroy, who challenged Republican, seven-term-incumbent Deborah Pryce in Ohio’s 13th district, learned this […]
A federal judge refused to dismiss charges against James Kopp, the convicted killer of abortion provider Barnett Slepian, MD, for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. US District Judge Richard Arcara also denied Kopp’s intention to argue that the shooting was justified because Kopp was only trying to save the lives […]
A report by the United Nations (UN) has found that the current state of women’s disempowerment in Arab countries is a hindrance to the success and prosperity of Arab countries as a whole. The Arab Human Development Report calls for guarantees of lifelong protection from physical and mental abuse and the end of female illiteracy […]
The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing Rhode Island College (RIC) for violation of the First Amendment after the school removed signs that protested the refusal of contraceptives by pharmacists. RIC’s Women’s Studies Organization posted signs with the slogan “Keep Your Rosaries Off Our Ovaries” near campus entrances last […]
The US House of Representatives voted against controversial legislation yesterday that would have required doctors to tell pregnant women considering abortion that a fetus is capable of feeling pain, even though no substantial scientific evidence supports the claim. The “Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act,” introduced by anti-choice legislator Christopher Smith (R-NJ), would have required doctors […]
A bill passed in the Senate yesterday that authorizes the addition of Sojourner Truth’s image to a statue honoring suffragists in the basement of the US Capitol building. The bill, HR 4510, was initially promoted by the late Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, a lifelong champion of civil rights and women’s rights and the chair of […]
The US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released a report last week that shows the number of women in US prisons and jails has risen 57 percent since 1995. While men still outnumber women in the prison system, in 2005 the number of male prisoners has increased 1.9 percent, whereas the number of incarcerated women […]
Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and Sweden have all pledged to increase funding for the development of microbicides that can reduce or eliminate the transmission of HIV. Microbicides, which are still being developed and are not yet available to the public, refer to a range of products that can prevent the sexual transmission of diseases and […]
Advocacy groups, students, and supporters of affirmative action rallied at the Supreme Court yesterday morning as the high court considered two lawsuits on the subject. The National Organization for Women (NOW), the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the National Associate for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), and United for Equality and […]
Participating Planned Parenthood health centers across the country will distribute free emergency contraception (EC) to women and men 18 and older tomorrow, Wednesday, December 6. EC lowers the risk of pregnancy when taken within 120 hours of intercourse, however the sooner EC is taken, the lower the risk of pregnancy. If EC is taken within […]
A teacher from Afghanistan was murdered recently for disobeying Taliban orders to stop educating girls. Mohammed Halim, a 46 year-old man from Ghazni, was taken from his home and partly disemboweled before his limbs were tied to motorcycles and torn off, according to the New Zealand Herald. Halim is the fourth teacher to be murdered […]
New Hampshire announced last week that it will be the first state to offer the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil at no cost to girls ages 11 to 18. The vaccinations are scheduled to begin next month and will be funded by the federal government and private insurers, reports Kaiser Daily Women’s Health Policy. The Gardasil […]
The French cabinet approved a proposal last week that promotes equal representation for women and men in regional and national politics. France currently ranks 17th out of the 25 members of the European Union for the representation of women in Parliamentary positions, reports Xinhua. Under the proposed law, any party that fails to have an […]
On Wednesday, November 29, Dartmouth University students, faculty, and staff joined together in a “Solidarity Against Hatred Rally.” According to senior Danielle Strollo, the rally was held after a number of recent incidents targeted individuals and populations because of race and gender. Particularly at issue was the treatment of Native Americans who have a long […]
Susan McCue, who has served as incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid”s (D-NV) Chief of Staff since 1999, announced on Wednesday that she will be joining the ONE campaign as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. The ONE campaign aims to “make poverty history” by rallying Americans “one by one” to address the global […]
Former President Bill Clinton announced yesterday that his charitable foundation has successfully negotiated a deal with two Indian drug companies that will dramatically reduce the cost of treating children with HIV/AIDS. Cipla and Ranbaxy Laboratories have agreed to produce 19 anti-retroviral drugs and make them available to children in 62 developing countries at an average […]
Outgoing Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has ordered a recount in the state’s 15th district after Representative Deborah Pryce (R) was named the winner in a close race against challenger Mary Jo Kilroy (D). Kilroy was defeated by 1,055 votes, a margin so small that it requires a recount. According to the AP, an […]
Many women”s rights advocates are arguing that the recently passed abortion ban in Nicaragua caused the death of a young woman experiencing complications with her pregnancy earlier this week. Jazmina Bojorge, who was about five months pregnant, arrived at a hospital complaining of a fever and abdominal pains and died 36 hours later, Kaiser Daily […]
According to a recent report by the Guttmacher Institute, teens are not receiving adequate sex education. The report, Changes in Formal Sex Education: 1995-2002, found that there has been a steady decrease in the percentage of students, both female and male, that have received information concerning different methods of birth control. Furthermore, the report identifies […]
